82 abducted Pinoy seamen to get financial, medical help

MANILA, Philippines - The 82 Filipino seafarers who remain in the hands of Somali pirates will be given full financial and medical assistance by the Philippine government.

The assurance came from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) which is now closely monitoring the developments on the negotiations for the release of the Filipinos.

"We are in close coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and we are being appraised of the latest developments on the negotiations," Dimzon said in a recent interview with reporters,

All the abducted Filipino seafarers are documented and will be entitled to the benefits being received by OWWA members, according to Dimzon.

"They are all documented and they will be accorded the necessary benefits as OWWA members," said Dimzon

Dimzon said that besides benefits from the OWWA, the seamen would also receive compensation from their respective foreign principals as part of their contracts.

Fifteen Filipinos have so far been released by the sea bandits. One of them, identified by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as Jayson Dumagat died in an accident while the pirates started taking control of the vessel last August.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo welcomed the release of the seafarers, according to Fajardo. The seamen are now reportedly with DFA officials who are arranging for the repatriation of the Filipinos.

Fajarado said Malacañang was informed that the released seafarers were all in good health. She also denied knowledge of any ransom made in exchange for the release, adding that the negotiations were mostly done by the employers of the Filipinos.

The Philippines supply one-third of the world’s shipping manpower with about 270,000 Filipino seaman employed by foreign maritime agencies, making them the most vulnerable and prone to pirate attacks.

Manila does not directly negotiate with the hostage-takers but continues to coordinate with the transitional government of Somalia and the shipping firms to work for the immediate and safe release of the hostages. Somalia has no central government.

The Philippine government had already tied up with local manning agents in Manila to come up with a recommendation on how to prevent the further abduction of Filipino sailors.

The International Maritime Bureau has called on the United Nations to take action to secure the waters and stop the piracy menace in the Gulf of Aden.

Despite the presence of US-led coalition forces patrolling the area, pirate attacks continue in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. - GMANews.TV

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